Novartis is a science-based drug company, which has important implications for its business strategy. It is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world with over $38B in sales in 2007. Pharmaceuticals account for slightly over $24B of that total. In 2007, corporate R&D spending was $6.43B, or almost 17% of net sales. Novartis executive leaders believe in scientific progress and that large-scale investments in science will therefore result in long-term pay-offs in terms of profits and discoveries that benefit mankind. Novartis' business strategy is closely tied to its research strategy, which emphasizes extensive internal discovery and development capabilities leading to organic growth along with explicit external alliances and collaborations to supplement its core capabilities. Like its competitors, Novartis faces many challenges in terms of moving research from the bench to the bedside.  Five years after undertaking the restructuring of the discovery research organization, CEO Daniel Vasella is pleased with its progress, including many more development projects in the pipeline and new molecular entities. Nevertheless, the company faces a number of challenges, including generic drugs, patent infringements in developing countries, and pricing pressure from governments and health insurers in the United States. Given these challenges, Novartis must decide how much to spend on R&D overall, how to arrive at the right mix between organic growth and external collaboration and in-licensing, and how to measure success when it takes so many years to develop and launch a successful drug.    
New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer faced a decision about how to stop wrongdoing committed by major Wall Street firms during the Internet boom. The equities analysts of Merrill Lynch and other Wall Street firms were charged with objectively advising retail investors whether to buy or sell publicly traded stock. The analysts had rated some stock a strong buy, while at the same time disparaging it in Internet emails as "a piece of junk" or a "powder keg." Spitzer concluded that the analysts sometimes issued such buy ratings on stock of companies because of a conflict of interest: the Wall Street firms the analysts worked for were making handsome fees for underwriting the companies' stock offerings and providing other services. The usual procedure when an enforcement agency such as the Federal Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) discovered such a situation would be to complete its investigation and negotiate a resolution privately with the financial firm. If it could not resolve the matter, the agency would formally file suit against the firm in court. This option was open to Spitzer, but the 1921 New York statue gave him an alternative. Even before filing suit in court--and while continuing to investigate the firm further--he could broadcast his findings to warn the public and brand the firm with wrongdoing. This case investigates the decision Spitzer made, and its long-term implications for U.S. financial regulation and financial industries.
It is late 2007. So-called cell phone ("keitai") novels have turned into an extremely popular form of entertainment on the go in Japan, in particular among young, female readers. In fact, consisting mostly of love stories written by amateurs in short sentences and containing little plot or character development, cell phone novels republished in book form and even remade as movies have come to dominate mainstream media content. At media giant Sony, Ken Munekata, CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE), and Atsushi Fukuda, President of Sony Digital Entertainment (SDE), are attempting to craft an adequate response. After establishing SDE as a 100% subsidiary of Sony Japan, they now develop a wide range of digital content offerings for mobile phone users, mostly original content "made in Japan"-including keitai novels. But can SDE's subscription model compete in a market dominated by free keitai novel offerings? And, more generally, do Sony's current keitai initiatives move the company in the right strategic direction? Allows for an in-depth examination of viable business models for established media companies competing in digital markets dominated by user-generated, advertising-supported content. Also enables an assessment of the economics of producing and distributing traditional films and books versus digital (cell phone) content.
Six different business disputes, all in the shadow of pending litigation, are described. Students are asked to recommend the appropriate method of dispute resolution (mediation, arbitration, mini-trial, etc.) for each one, depending on the circumstances, especially to assess likely barriers to unassisted negotiation.
Group Genius, written by Keith Sawyer of the University of Washington, is a three-chapter book published by Perseus Books/Basic Books. Composed of three parts - the collaborative team, the collaborative mind, and the collaborative organization - the book explores the power of human collaboration in generating innovation. Part I uses examples of creative collaboration to show that the most effective collaborations are not designed and mandated by top levels of an organization but, rather, improvisational. Part II examines research from the natural and social sciences on the collaborative nature of the mind; one key theme is that even though insight feels like a solitary exercise, it is actually rooted in collaboration. Part III highlights the real-world potential of organizational innovation by discussing companies designed to maximize collaboration such as Cisco, Apple, YouTube, Whole Foods, and Toyota. Chapter 1 explores the connection between collaboration and creativity and examines how the two can be effectively harnessed for organizational gain. The author, using a technique called "interaction analysis," also identifies seven key characteristics of creative teams.
Group Genius, written by Keith Sawyer of the University of Washington, is a three-chapter book published by Perseus Books/Basic Books. Composed of three parts - the collaborative team, the collaborative mind, and the collaborative organization - the book explores the power of human collaboration in generating innovation. Part I uses examples of creative collaboration to show that the most effective collaborations are not designed and mandated by top levels of an organization but, rather, improvisational. Part II examines research from the natural and social sciences on the collaborative nature of the mind; one key theme is that even though insight feels like a solitary exercise, it is actually rooted in collaboration. Part III highlights the real-world potential of organizational innovation by discussing companies designed to maximize collaboration such as Cisco, Apple, YouTube, Whole Foods, and Toyota. Chapter 2 discusses improvised innovation, explaining that many innovative ideas emerge spontaneously, from the bottom up. The author analyzes examples of highly effective innovation and determines it to be the product of a balance of planning, structure, and improvisation.
Group Genius, written by Keith Sawyer of the University of Washington, is a three-chapter book published by Perseus Books/Basic Books. Composed of three parts - the collaborative team, the collaborative mind, and the collaborative organization - the book explores the power of human collaboration in generating innovation. Part I uses examples of creative collaboration to show that the most effective collaborations are not designed and mandated by top levels of an organization but, rather, improvisational. Part II examines research from the natural and social sciences on the collaborative nature of the mind; one key theme is that even though insight feels like a solitary exercise, it is actually rooted in collaboration. Part III highlights the real-world potential of organizational innovation by discussing companies designed to maximize collaboration such as Cisco, Apple, YouTube, Whole Foods, and Toyota. Chapter 3 explores the concept of "group flow" - a peak experience where a group is performing at its top level of ability. The author examines the reasons why group flow occurs naturally and identifies the ten conditions necessary to generate group flow.
Group Genius, written by Keith Sawyer of the University of Washington, is a three-chapter book published by Perseus Books/Basic Books. Composed of three parts - the collaborative team, the collaborative mind, and the collaborative organization - the book explores the power of human collaboration in generating innovation. Part I uses examples of creative collaboration to show that the most effective collaborations are not designed and mandated by top levels of an organization but, rather, improvisational. Part II examines research from the natural and social sciences on the collaborative nature of the mind; one key theme is that even though insight feels like a solitary exercise, it is actually rooted in collaboration. Part III highlights the real-world potential of organizational innovation by discussing companies designed to maximize collaboration such as Cisco, Apple, YouTube, Whole Foods, and Toyota. Chapter 4 uses the sharply differing concepts of "group genius" and "groupthink" (originally coined by psychologist Irving Janis) to explain why some teams produce negative outcomes - and to illuminate why other teams can produce valuable creative results. The author explores the possible reasons why common practices such as brainstorming inhibit group genius and considers how to design groups to avoid such pitfalls.
Group Genius, written by Keith Sawyer of the University of Washington, is a three-chapter book published by Perseus Books/Basic Books. Composed of three parts - the collaborative team, the collaborative mind, and the collaborative organization - the book explores the power of human collaboration in generating innovation. Part I uses examples of creative collaboration to show that the most effective collaborations are not designed and mandated by top levels of an organization but, rather, improvisational. Part II examines research from the natural and social sciences on the collaborative nature of the mind; one key theme is that even though insight feels like a solitary exercise, it is actually rooted in collaboration. Part III highlights the real-world potential of organizational innovation by discussing companies designed to maximize collaboration such as Cisco, Apple, YouTube, Whole Foods, and Toyota. Chapter 5 discusses the role that groups play in the emergence of individual insight and creativity. The author maps the collaborative process that can generate creative sparks in the individual and considers which factors spur and which hinder the process.
Group Genius, written by Keith Sawyer of the University of Washington, is a three-chapter book published by Perseus Books/Basic Books. Composed of three parts - the collaborative team, the collaborative mind, and the collaborative organization - the book explores the power of human collaboration in generating innovation. Part I uses examples of creative collaboration to show that the most effective collaborations are not designed and mandated by top levels of an organization but, rather, improvisational. Part II examines research from the natural and social sciences on the collaborative nature of the mind; one key theme is that even though insight feels like a solitary exercise, it is actually rooted in collaboration. Part III highlights the real-world potential of organizational innovation by discussing companies designed to maximize collaboration such as Cisco, Apple, YouTube, Whole Foods, and Toyota. Chapter 6 further explores the everyday cognitive process comprising creativity. The author draws on documents about historic innovators like Samuel Morse and Charles Darwin, as well as records of modern creators, including businesses, to illuminate the complex network of factors that can generate innovative ideas. Among the chapter's themes: Evidence shows that great innovators build their ideas from assemblages of previous ideas. Mental processes that facilitate innovation in this way include conceptual transfer, conceptual combination, and conceptual elaboration. The author examines additional scientific research, including recent findings, to enrich his discussion.
Group Genius, written by Keith Sawyer of the University of Washington, is a three-chapter book published by Perseus Books/Basic Books. Composed of three parts - the collaborative team, the collaborative mind, and the collaborative organization - the book explores the power of human collaboration in generating innovation. Part I uses examples of creative collaboration to show that the most effective collaborations are not designed and mandated by top levels of an organization but, rather, improvisational. Part II examines research from the natural and social sciences on the collaborative nature of the mind; one key theme is that even though insight feels like a solitary exercise, it is actually rooted in collaboration. Part III highlights the real-world potential of organizational innovation by discussing companies designed to maximize collaboration such as Cisco, Apple, YouTube, Whole Foods, and Toyota. Chapter 7 highlights the vital role that conversation - the author calls it "the engine that drives collaboration"-- plays in fostering creativity. He examines the work of numerous researchers who have investigate possible links between group interaction and innovation. Over the years,businesses have tried to create unique conversational formats to enhance the power of collaboration, and the author gives us a glimpse of some of those techniques, as William J. Gordon's synectics, a group creativity technique designed to foster collaborative analogies.
Group Genius, written by Keith Sawyer of the University of Washington, is a three-chapter book published by Perseus Books/Basic Books. Composed of three parts - the collaborative team, the collaborative mind, and the collaborative organization - the book explores the power of human collaboration in generating innovation. Part I uses examples of creative collaboration to show that the most effective collaborations are not designed and mandated by top levels of an organization but, rather, improvisational. Part II examines research from the natural and social sciences on the collaborative nature of the mind; one key theme is that even though insight feels like a solitary exercise, it is actually rooted in collaboration. Part III highlights the real-world potential of organizational innovation by discussing companies designed to maximize collaboration such as Cisco, Apple, YouTube, Whole Foods, and Toyota. Chapter 8 introduces the roles that collaboration, improvisation, and bottom-up management can play at the organizational level. The author considers how managers can foster group genius in an organization. He identifies ten traits of collaborative organizations and analyzes them against a background of pertinent examples. He also considers methods that can be used measure an organization's innovation potential.
Group Genius, written by Keith Sawyer of the University of Washington, is a three-chapter book published by Perseus Books/Basic Books. Composed of three parts - the collaborative team, the collaborative mind, and the collaborative organization - the book explores the power of human collaboration in generating innovation. Part I uses examples of creative collaboration to show that the most effective collaborations are not designed and mandated by top levels of an organization but, rather, improvisational. Part II examines research from the natural and social sciences on the collaborative nature of the mind; one key theme is that even though insight feels like a solitary exercise, it is actually rooted in collaboration. Part III highlights the real-world potential of organizational innovation by discussing companies designed to maximize collaboration such as Cisco, Apple, YouTube, Whole Foods, and Toyota. Chapter 9 discusses how an organization can enhance its creative innovation through collaborative webs - outside channels that include customers, suppliers, and other businesses. The author discusses methods for utilizing collaborative webs and techniques for measuring and managing these webs.
Group Genius, written by Keith Sawyer of the University of Washington, is a three-chapter book published by Perseus Books/Basic Books. Composed of three parts - the collaborative team, the collaborative mind, and the collaborative organization - the book explores the power of human collaboration in generating innovation. Part I uses examples of creative collaboration to show that the most effective collaborations are not designed and mandated by top levels of an organization but, rather, improvisational. Part II examines research from the natural and social sciences on the collaborative nature of the mind; one key theme is that even though insight feels like a solitary exercise, it is actually rooted in collaboration. Part III highlights the real-world potential of organizational innovation by discussing companies designed to maximize collaboration such as Cisco, Apple, YouTube, Whole Foods, and Toyota. Chapter 10 further explores the innovative potential an organization can foster in the collaborative webs of its customers. The author explains how organizations can incorporate these customer-driven collaborative webs into their business models.
Group Genius, written by Keith Sawyer of the University of Washington, is a three-chapter book published by Perseus Books/Basic Books. Composed of three parts - the collaborative team, the collaborative mind, and the collaborative organization - the book explores the power of human collaboration in generating innovation. Part I uses examples of creative collaboration to show that the most effective collaborations are not designed and mandated by top levels of an organization but, rather, improvisational. Part II examines research from the natural and social sciences on the collaborative nature of the mind; one key theme is that even though insight feels like a solitary exercise, it is actually rooted in collaboration. Part III highlights the real-world potential of organizational innovation by discussing companies designed to maximize collaboration such as Cisco, Apple, YouTube, Whole Foods, and Toyota. Chapter 11, the book's final chapter, discusses the broad-scale implementation of group genius in the global economy. The author explains the importance in the shift of the modern workforce from traditional manufacturing to a creativity-based core. He also examines issues surrounding intellectual property rights and argues for certain modifications in the current U.S. legal system in order to spur creativity and collaboration.
This case tackles issues of regional strategy and strategic institutional arbitrage. Databank is a financial services firm designing its regional strategy for Africa and seeking to benefit from institutional arbitrage.